Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

”Hmph, provoking me, are you? It’s rude not to return the favor!” Gan Ning immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow. Although the internal energy attached to it was dissipated, the sheer power of the ten-stone strong bow still embedded the arrow deep into the beam of the city gate tower.

”Just like that,” Wen Chou said helplessly. ”If I can do it, so can he. It’s not worth it. In situations like this, it’s better for both sides to show restraint, or else it’ll lead to a full-blown fight.”

By the time Chen Xi returned, Wen Chou and Gan Ning had already started fighting in another location. The two were evenly matched, and since both were injured, their battle didn’t cause much of an impact.

After handing over the task of surrounding Chiping to Zhuge Liang and seeing the trebuchets being set up, Chen Xi returned to Linyi’s new city.

When Chen Xi arrived at Linyi, he found the city bustling with activity. The Black Mountain Yellow Turbans who had relocated there were all diligently working to build the new city, with construction progressing at a brisk pace.

”Gongyou, how much longer until the new city is completed? The situation is looking good. Once Zilong arrives at Linyi, I’ll hand over military command, and then I can return to Taishan,” Chen Xi said as he observed Sun Qian, who was busy cross-checking blueprints.

”The new city will be finished within three days. After that, we’ll start on the outer walls, which is the real heavy lifting. But the basic infrastructure is already planned, so it’s just a matter of construction now. You plan to return to Taishan?” Sun Qian frowned. Even though he wasn’t fully attuned to the situation in Taishan, he knew things were somewhat chaotic there, and that this chaos was being managed by certain individuals.

”Yes, I’ve said before that I’d return by May. This autumn, our army’s battle against Yuan Shao will commence, and I’m not entirely sure how long it will last. Although I’m confident we’ll win, I’m more concerned about Yuan Shao’s intentions,” Chen Xi nodded.

Chen Xi had long planned to transfer Zhao Yun to this region to defend against Yuan Shao in the north. After all, a battle with the north was inevitable, and a top general was needed as the regional commander. Among them, only Guan Yu met the requirements, but Zhao Yun’s advantage was that he wasn’t arrogant and was open to listening to others.

”I’m confident as well, but I’m worried about you rushing back. There’s a risk of something happening to you on the way,” Sun Qian shook his head. Taishan was currently under the control of harsh figures like Li You, Jia Xu, and Man Chong, with all other influential elders sent elsewhere. Lu Su was expected to arrive soon, and the whole situation was being managed by these hardliners.”The noble families won’t dare target me. If they do, I’ll make sure they learn a lesson. Besides, once I’m back, I’ll be closing my doors to visitors,” Chen Xi said, his cold determination hidden from Sun Qian.

”Very well. In that case, Xianghe, Weishuo, and I won’t be returning with you. Xianghe and Weishuo will soon need to go...” Sun Qian hesitated but eventually agreed with Chen Xi’s plan, making a digging motion as he spoke.

Though Sun Qian, a disciple of Zheng Xuan, wasn’t currently engaged in literary work, he still maintained the morals of a scholar. To be honest, if he didn’t know what Jian Yong was up to, Sun Qian would never have approved of what Jian Yong and Liu Yan were doing—digging up graves with no heirs, which could be considered a dishonorable act.

”They’re progressing so quickly,” Chen Xi frowned. This pace seemed a bit too hasty—how had they gone from studying ancient scripts to grave digging so fast?

”Yes, many of the great scholars don’t have much money, but they do have ancient bronze tripods or artifacts. With your prompting, they’ve started to find relevant information inscribed on them. What they once thought were mysterious patterns are now being recognized as scripts, which Xianghe jokingly calls ’tripod inscriptions’,” Sun Qian explained with a smile.

Recently, Jian Yong and the others had been focused on finding these inscribed tripods. Fortunately, each great scholar possessed one or two ancient tripods for rituals, and with additional tripods requisitioned from their disciples, they had managed to record many symbols. As more symbols were organized, some scholars had even begun to guess the meanings of these inscriptions.

”Not bad,” Chen Xi nodded. ”How long until they’re done organizing everything?”

”That’s uncertain. But they’ve already unearthed some strange things, like the origins of the Wuhuan and Xianbei people. Based on what they’ve deciphered from some ancient tripods, it seems those people are also descendants of the Huaxia,” Sun Qian said, sounding somewhat displeased with this conclusion.

”Now that’s good news,” Chen Xi was surprised at first but then smiled. ”Since they’re of the same lineage, governing them becomes a natural right. This will make things easier for us. What kind of records are these?”

”Yan Fangong possesses a tripod from the time of King Wu’s conquest of Zhou, which records the inventory of treasures King Zhou had collected. Among the records is a note stating that the Xiongnu are descendants of the Xia people. This was why King Wu later moved the merchants to the north,” Sun Qian explained. He had seen the tripod himself, and it indeed contained information on this matter.

”Well, there’s nothing more to say. It’s just a case of internal conflict among the Huaxia,” Chen Xi said indifferently. ”So, in the future, we should help them out to prevent them from tarnishing the name of Huaxia further. Anything else?”

”Recently, some people involved in feng shui and geomancy have reported vaguely sensing dragon veins nearby,” Sun Qian said with a frown. ”But as you know, sensing dragon veins is one thing; finding their exact location is another.”

”Oh,” Chen Xi nodded. By now, he had gained some understanding of these things, and he had begun to put some stock in them. After all, some people in this era were incredibly accurate.

Over the next few days, Chen Xi remained in Linyi to handle administrative matters and waited for Zhao Yun to return for the handover. After all, when they eventually faced Yuan Shao, every position on the northern defense line needed to be filled by a strong figure to hold back Yuan Shao’s initial powerful assault, which would allow them to eventually defeat him completely.

During this time, Jiang Wan made a few appearances. It seemed Jiang Wan was balancing work and study, and in the few brief meetings, Chen Xi noticed that Jiang Wan was already gaining some insights. It was undeniable that a genius was indeed a genius.

Chen Xi had also sought out those historically overlooked talents but eventually realized a truth: those who left their mark in chaotic times were not just capable but also lucky. The unnamed but capable individuals Chen Xi had hoped to find were at best suitable for governing a county or a district. Expecting anything more was unrealistic.

Now, if Li You or others praised someone’s abilities, Chen Xi knew that person was likely someone well-known. After all, truly capable people wouldn’t fail to protect their lives long enough to make a name for themselves. As a result, Chen Xi gradually abandoned the idea of seeking out unknown talents and instead focused on large-scale basic education.

Since geniuses couldn’t be suppressed, it made sense to cultivate capable individuals who could build this world. Even the visions of geniuses required countless capable individuals to bring them to life.

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